The freight handling vehicle of the invention is of the type which receives freight from a freight-handling vehicle and loads the freight onto an aircraft. It is of the multiple platform type comprising a forward bridge platform which is adapted to be connected to the aircraft at the cargo door and a rear, main elevator which is adapted to have its elevation matched to that of the bridge elevator as the latter moves up and down to maintain its position relative to the cargo door as the aircraft lowers during loading and raises during unloading.
With such two-platform loaders, a serious problem has been encountered in trying to match the transfer elevation of the forward bridge elevator and the rear elevator. Any misalignment between the levels of these two elevators makes the transfer of containers and pallets difficult. Such misalignment can result from level sensing switches which are out of adjustment, uneven ramp surfaces, heavy loads, or the adjustment of the rear wheels of the loader.
The essential object of the present invention is to provide means to ensure efficient load transfer between the two elevators even under such elevator-level misalignment conditions.
Multiple platform loaders of this general type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,666,127 and 3,854,610. These patents are of general interest only and do not disclose any inter-elevator load transfer means of the type of that of the present invention.